Monday, August 30, 2010

Let Them Eat Cake....

So, I really wanted to get a blog posted last night after the "Enforced Bed Time" kicked in, but I was enjoying the "me" time all too much to pry myself off the couch and stop watching 'Hoarders'. So, hopefully this week in between school lunch packing, homework-checking, football practice running, tear-wiping, dinner time eating and "make sure you scrub behind your ears" time I will be able to post some nice pictures for you all to enjoy! So in the mean time, enjoy these "I'm-oh-so-jealous I can't make these cakes" cakes:






Ahhh-mazing!!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Waiting.....

I'm waiting to take Mason to football practice and thought I'd write a quick post. We are supposed to be taking a friend of Mason's to practice, but I have not heard if he still needs a ride, so I wait and wait. I would have left minutes ago, just to sit and wait at the field, so the majority of my life revolves around waiting, how ironic because I am a very inpatient person, I really hate to wait! So, I digress....

This is somewhat of a strange story, but it just goes to show inspiration can come at any time, in any form and any place as you will soon find out. I took Mason to Dick's Sporting Goods today to return a football thingamajig and he found some sneakers there for school. We wondered around because we had some time and I had to use the restroom. So I proceeded to enter the restroom and on my way to the last stall (the handicap stall) I looked in to see if the stall was acceptable to my high public restroom cleanliness standards and sure enough it was, at 2:30 the toilet bowl was still blue from the cleaner! Score! So I turn around to lock the door and the door lock is broken, there was no way the door was going to lock, so I walk over to the next available (the only other stall) and close and lock the door. Things get a little "weird" I guess. I just happened to have my camera in my purse, I do NOT make it a habit to take my camera in restrooms, but thank goodness I had it with me (and thank goodness no one else wondered into the bathroom at the same time!). Along the very clean walls I saw this bathroom graffiti:



I would love to know what inspired the person who wrote this to write this. What was going on in their life? It spoke volumes to me. I'm glad I saw it. Strange, yes. Powerful, absolutely! So, never dismiss any form of inspiration. And now all of you can say that you know a weirdo that takes pictures in the bathroom!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Farmers Market, Boat Riding & Cable, Oh My!

Saturday I woke up and went over to the farmer's market set up outside and got some really great veggies.

The grape tomatoes were phenomenal, I really like grape tomatoes in recipes, but not usually just to pop in my mouth to eat, but these were so delicious, I just kept snacking on them! Yum.



Then we picked up some more green beans because I got them last week and cooked them up and, once again, they were excellent.



Then things got a little interesting, food-wise, anyway. I spotted dark purple (green) beans? I couldn't believe the deep, beautiful color. I didn't want to appear to be a novice in the veggie department, because after all, I AM a vegetarian! So, I quietly ask the person working, "Are they purple beans"? He very politely assured me that they were and I said I would take a basket. When I turned around a lady that had an equally puzzled look on her face asked me if I liked those beans. I sheepishly looked at her and said, "I don't think I've ever even seen those kind of beans before". Then she said, "Me neither". So she bought a basket, too! How cool is that, finding new things to try (and for very cheap). I imagine the deep purple color has more nutrients in them than regular green beans?



And, finally at the market right next to all the baked goods that a little old lady probably spent hours baking were flavored honey sticks:



Some of the flavors included: strawberry, pina colada, apple, chocolate, root beer (yuck!), and blueberry, etc. We picked out 8 different flavors, can't wait to try 'em!

Friends of ours invited us out on the boat for the day yesterday at Glendale, what a blast! We had a great time, the weather was perfect, the wind was cool and the company was great! The kids swam in the lake, Mason was afraid at first to jump off the boat, but once he did, there was no going back, he did it over and over again! He even got to drive the boat! Then we stopped and had a picnic on shore and then rode around the lake for the rest of the afternoon. I couldn't have spend a better Saturday, Mason really needed to have fun like that and get his mind off of things for awhile. So, thank you, guys for showing us a good, family fun time. Sure beats taking Mason to a bar, huh??






I am WAITING and WAITING for the cable guy, I have to do something at 4pm and the appointment is scheduled for 12-4pm, so with my luck, he'll show up at 4pm! I really can't wait to finally watch TV!!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I'm Baaaaaaack!!

Wow, I actually have a minute to sit down and type up a blog, well, actually ever since the Verizon tech was here to fix the internet a few hours ago, I'm finding it hard to pry myself away from the wonderful world wide web! Mason and I were headed out on our regularly scheduled walk, to walk Baileigh when we had quite a disagreement about something, which escalated into an argument and I believe he fell asleep within 3 minutes of being sent to his room! I really enjoy the nightly walks, it gives us a chance to have some time to talk, but he really does need to get sleep. The poor kid has not had a day this summer where he could sleep in until late afternoon. I love that kid with all my heart and the things that he is going through should never be laid on a kids plate. I hope we can get through this ok, I hope HE can get through this ok. I'm so conflicted, I know in my deepest of hearts that the best thing for Mason is to be on civil, speaking terms with "him", but I can't bring myself to even look at the idiot for all the pain and hurt he has put us through. I know it would ease the stress on Mason if we all got along, but I just can't do it. Am I the one being selfish there? Should I 'suck it up' for Mason's sake? I don't know, what I do know is that this is going to be going on for years and years, do I have that much fight in me? I sure hope so. I want this to all be over and I want to move forward, but it is so hard to do with all the pain that is still with both of us. Oh well, I take it day by day, sometimes hour by hour, but I will prevail, I just hope that I am doing everything (or at least 90%) right. My fear is that Mason will someday want to live with "him", I would so feel betrayed all over again, but I guess I am getting ahead of myself. This is why I fight so hard, so that I can see this everyday:



And, yes, I'm not going to lie, everyone reading this is thinking the same thing. "Did he eat them"? Yes.Yes, he did.

Now onto other, brighter things! We are finally moved! Oh my, I never took on a task like that in my life, and I survived it! The downstairs is pretty much done, Mason's room is done except for his loft bed, but my bedroom is a different story! It will get done, hopefully soon! THE CABLE GUY IS COMING ON SUNDAY!! I thought it was bad not having internet for 2 weeks, not watching TV has been worse! Although, I don't think that I would have gotten half of this stuff done if I were parking my rear on the couch! So, I will certainly enjoy catching up on my shows in a new place! I have to tell you, though, I am the world's worst packer! I will shove things in a box from all different rooms, half the boxes didn't close, in an effort to save money, I bought generic duct tape that stuck for 3 hours, so all the bottoms of the boxes bottomed out, I still to this day can not find my tweezers. This almost became serious. I mean unibrow serious. It was bad, I caught a glimpse in the mirror after a very long day of moving and thought Bert was staring right back at me.



So, I frantically searched for those tweezers (I have 2 pairs, one as a back up, do you think I could even find them?) with no luck. So, I got in the car and ran to Walmart (where else could one with a unibrow feel so comfortable?) and picked up a pair. So, no worries, I am UNI-free!

Every Friday in August at the pavillion across the street there are free concerts and Mason was thrilled to see the firemen set up a popcorn booth! He ran across the street to go get some and he got a firefighter hat!



Well, that's all for now. I will be posting soon, as I have a lot more to say!